The Secret Life of a Teenage Bird Kid
by the fangalicious fudgy llama
Summary: Max is a curious teenage girl. What do you expect her to do? Stay home? Please. She's gonna live her life while she can. But some things won't go as planned. Remember, curiosity killed the cat  or the bird, in this case... .
1. Chapter 1

The Secret Life of a Teenage Bird Kid

Max: I prefer Avian American!

A/N:This is my first fanfiction so don't be too harsh (though i'm looking forward to some criticism)! I will post a new fanfic about once a week. If I'm lucky then maybe even twice a week. I don't own any of the Maximum Ride characters or info and I don't own any of the songs or artists throughout the series. R&R!

Ch.1

Max's POV:

The floor was cold. Damn, the floor was cold. And hard. Sadly I knew this floor to well.  
>"Yo Ride," the officer said. "I guess this is your lucky day." "It's been my lucky day for about 3 months now, Sean." "Hey! It's officer Reynolds, if you don't mind." "I think we've been over this, Reynolds Wrap, I prefer to call you Sean, <em>If you don't mind<em>," I stated smartly. God, that guy needed to lose some weight.

He yanked his keys from his extremely undersized belt and grabbed a large key that I could hardly destinguish between the others, due to the endless throbbing of my head. He slightly smirked at me as I flinched from the clink clanking of that stupid door of bars. "Next time, try to be a good girl, will ya?"

I saw Nick, aka Fang as I used to call him when we were little, step out from behind him. "Nicky poo!" I guess the "fruit punch" hasn't worn off yet. "Hey Max. Ready to go?" "I am if you are, sweety pie!" He hates it when I do that. The more I make him suffer in front of authority, the better. Oh, how it gets funnier each time I do it. I stood up, wobbling from side to side. He looked at me and chuckled. "What?" I said getting aggravated. He cleared his throat and said, calm as can be "I think you should grab your underwear first." I looked to my left and saw that my Hello Kitty undies were on the ground. Though I was embarassed, my intoxicated self just chuckled. "Hehe, hey! How did those get down there?" I picked them up, stuffed them into my pocket, and shuffled out the door. Reynolds Wrap sighed behind me.

"See ya next week, Ride," he said. "Kay kay," I slurred. Fang practically carried me out the door, if it wasn't for my feet draffing across the ground, trying to catch up to the rest of my body. He opened the passenger side door, and I fell in, literally. He shook his head and got into the drivers side. I was so proud of myself for disappointing him.

"Max," he said. _Oh God,_ I thought. _Another lecture._ "Yeah?" I said, sweetness dripping off of my voice. He wasn't moved. Not an inch. "You told me you wouldn't do this again." "Do what again?" I acted clueless. This was gonna be easy. I might as well take a nap while he's talking. "You promised that you wouldn't get drunk again. Not to mention drive around! I hope you know your car was towed." I woke up then. "It's WHAT?" "It's towed." "Well why didn't you get it out?" In case you didn't know, Nick's step dad was rich. He was pretty nice to. "You really think my dad would give me money to get your car back? I already had to steal from him tonight to bail you out. I can't do it again!" "Oh, like you've never done it before!" "Yeah, to get YOU out of this crap! Why can't you just stop? You know Dylan's no good for you-" "Oh, and you are?" He stared out at the bare road. It was like, 3 in the morning. He looked back at me. "Yeah, Max. I truly believe that I'm better for you than him." I raised my eyebrows and said, "Well, we already tried that. Do you really wanna repeat the past?" "Well I don't see his punk ass bailing you out of this shit right?" I didn't answer. "RIGHT?" I jumped in my seat. That was the first time he has raised his voice at me. Ever.

"Look," he said calmer now. "I know you don't wanna get back together with me, but it's worse if you stay with him for drugs and alcohol." I didn't look at him. It wasn't true. I like Dylan for Dylan. And he feels the same way too, I'm sure. "He likes you for your looks Max." "No he doesn't, Fang. Your WRONG! He loves me like you couldn't." "Oh and how's that? Hm?" I didn't know what to say, but Dylan was different. "Just take me home, Nick. Just take me home."

We hadn't talked the whole ride. He drove off before I had the chance to step off of the side walk. I jumped as high as my legs would allow me, grabbed onto my balcony, and pulled myself up. When I climbed into bed, I thought of what had happened a couple of hours ago. I was only gonna get 3 hours of sleep tonight. God, it was gonna be a long day of school. At least Dylan will be there.

6:00 A.M.

"Maxi," yelled my older brother Ari. I swear, he could tell I was wasted from a mile away. "I'm up, I'm up. Don't get your granny panties in a twist!" He laughed a deep laugh that sounded more like a growl to me. I got up and spent like 30 minutes just standing in the shower. The hot water felt good on my shoulders. I also wanted to run the hot water out just to piss Ari off. I put my hair up in a high pony tail, my brown curls bouncing as I did so. I changed into a gray tank with some skinny jeans, my dark blue hoodie and my black combat boots. I put in my blue lightning bolt earrings and clipped my Soul Eater necklace around my neck. It's a bit snug, but I'll live.

My sister, Ella, sighed at what I was wearing. "Mazzy," that was her nickname for me. She couldn't say Max when she was little. She could only say Maz. "Why can't you just be a girl for once?" she whined. "Hey," I said. "You're lucky that I'm even wearing jewelry...and underwear." "Oh God," screamed Ari. He ran out of the room yelling over and over "Too much information! Too much information!" Man, I loved messing with people.

My mom dropped me off at school at about 7:00. I looked for Dylan, running into a lot of people that I had totally forgot about during the summer. Wait till he sees me. He thought I was gonna go to a different school. He was so upset last night, I hadn't seen him at all. Oh, I can't wait to surprise him. Little did I know, I was gonnna get the surprise.

As I turned the corner, I saw bright red hair that was only obtainable through a bottle at the end of the hall. I saw Dylan too. _Oh jeez_, I thought. _She's flirting with him again._ I kept myself hidden in the girls bathroom, waiting to here how he would tell her off. But as I listened, I heard giggling, not yelling or resisting. Then I heard silence. I came out of the bathroom to see something horrible. I saw them chest to chest, eyes closed. And Dylan's tongue practically down Lissa's throat.

A/N: OOOOOHHHHH NOOOOOO HEE DIDN'T! R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

The Secret Life of a Teenage Bird Kid

Max: I prefer Avian American! Gazzy: *fart* Hehe... I pooted.

A/N: PLEASE READ CH.1 BEFORE THIS!

Ch.2

Max's POV:

"Oh my God!" I screeched. _No. No no no no no no no. This isn't happening. No way Jose._ They turned around in shock, well Dylan did anyway. Lissa just had that ugly shit eating smirk on her face. "Dylan, what the hell is this?" I may have seemed calm, but I was freaking out on the inside. _How could he do this to me? Am I special to him at all? Oh my God, I think I'm gonna throw up._ "Uhh, it's nothing. We were just talking-" "Oh, well I didn't know that you could talk with your tongue in someone else's mouth! Dylan, how could you?" I ran as fast as I could down the hall, tears blinding my vision. "Max! Wait, please, I can explain! Max!" I tripped on my shoelaces and fell face first onto the tile floors. It hurt so much, but not as much as my heart hurt. Not one bit. "Max," panted Dylan, doubled over in exhaustion. Man, he needed to run more. "What?" I scream cried. "It wasn't what it looks like." "Oh yeah? Then what was it? Huh?" "I-I-I didn't think you were coming back, so I-" "So you just thought it was the perfect time to meet up with some hooker? Right?" "Well, yeah." "WHAT!" His eyes widened with fear. "No, wait! That's not what I meant!"

As he tried to rephrase what he had just said, I stared at him in awe. _What did I ever seen in him?_ His hair was the ugliest of colors, a nasty bleached blonde color with a little too much grease. He wasn't pudgy, but he had no muscle at all. His ears were to big for his head, which was really small. His eyebrows were super thin & you could hardly seen them. He had zits all over his chin, and his eyes didn't sparkle. Not like Nick's did. Not like Fang's. _Those dark eyes... No! Don't think of him now, deal with this._

"You know what Dylan, you can stop. Just stop. Because you are a worthless peace of crap," I said. "And you are a huge Carebear! Goodbye Dylan. Hope you have fun with your new toy. It's made out of plastic." I turned away and held my head up high. No doubt he was back there still trying to process what I had said. But when I was out of ear shot, I bawled my eyes out and sprinted outside into the rain. _Okay, God. I get your sick joke, but my life isn't a movie. No need for the dramatic thunderstorm._ I ran and ran, my footsteps mixing with the sound of the thunder. I couldn't tell if I was still crying, or if it was the rain hitting my face.

I tripped and fell again, this time landing on my chest. I picked myself back up and kept running. I was almost at Miss Joney's Flower Shop where Nudge worked. Just a couple more blocks. I saw it dead ahead. But of course, I didn't notice the huge puddle in front of me until it was too late. I slipped in it and fell. I felt a sharp pain in my head. Then the everything went black. Ironically, it happened right in front of the fricken flower shop. Ain't that a bitch.

I had a series of visions after that. _My mother Valencia and I just arrived home from the hospital. Ari marveled at how small my body was. He wanted to see if I could fit in his Tonka truck, but our dad Jeb wouldn't let him. I saw me at three, taking my dad's food when he wasn't looking and shoveling it into my mouth. I knew he noticed, but I didn't care. I remembered Ella being born, her hair dark black. At first I thought she was a clone of my mom. I remembered being five and meeting Fang and Nudge at Church. Nudge was a year younger than me, and Fang was a year older. The Nudge kept, well, nudging me to show me her "battle scars" from when her and Fang would wrestle, and Fang kept biting me on my arm saying he was a vampire, thus when their nicknames were born. I could see Ari pushing me into Fang and telling me to kiss him. At the moment of course, we thought it was disgusting. Then I saw Nudge and I meeting Iggy at Fang's seventh birthday party. Nobody knows why we called him Iggy. Nudge had a huge crush on him. That same day we met his younger cousins, Angel and Gazzy. Angel was so nice to everyone, even though she was only like, 4, and Gazzy kept farting on people. Again, where the nicknames came from. I saw me at age nine, falling off of my scooter, crying on the ground because my knee was bleeding and there was gravel stuck in it. Then Fang walked up, tore a piece off of the end of his bandana (don't ask me why he liked those), picked out the pieces of rock, and cleaned off my cut with his waterbottle. Then he wrapped the cut up with the piece of bandana and helped me get home where we ate my mom's cookies, chocolate chip. I remember being eleven and watching my dad be sent to Japan to work with his science buddies. He's been there ever since. I remember being thirteen and having my first kiss with Fang in the janitor's closet at school._ Then I saw Fang's face, and I knew it was really him.

"Max... Max, are you okay?" It was hard to hear, and to see. My head hurt like hell. Then my senses became clearer. "Max. Oh my God, what happened? Max, stay with me Max. Max!" Fang kept yelling at me to stay conscious. I looked over at Nudge, sobbing into the phone at the 911 operator. _What the hell happened to me? _Fang took off his leather jacket and laid it over top of me. I didn't realize that I was shivering. He then took off his shirt (A/N: so sexy...) and ripped it to pieces. He tied them around my head where the pain had been, which I'm guessing was bleeding. Honestly, I kinda like seeing him with his shirt off in the rain. That was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.

Fang's POV

10 minutes earlier

I felt kinda bad for being a "pissy preppy bitch" as my sister Serenity (a.k.a. Nudge) called it. But not bad enough to resist a cinnamon pretzel from Cinnabon down the road (Mmm... Cinnabon.). I chilled in a seat across from Nudge because she was on her break at the flower shop and she just had to give me an earfull about saying stuff to her best friend. "Why would you say anything to her Fang! You know how sensitive she is! She's obviously not the brightest bulb in the box for not noticing that Dylan's a douche bag, but hey, that's love." "It's not love," I said. "It's ignorance." "Oh, love, ignorance," Nudge said. "Isn't it the same thing?" "Yeah, but that's not the point. She's supposed to-" "Be with you?" God I hated when she did that. I swear, she can read minds. (A/N: Did she hear you saying dirty thoughts about Spongebob? Fang: NO... maybe...) "Look Nick, I know you love her. And believe me, there is nothing I would want more than for you two to be together. Well, maybe a french vanilla cappachino from Starbucks, but that doesn't count." I looked at her, a bit confused. "So what you're saying is you want some coffee?" "Pretty much. It's a cappachino, not coffee." "Isn't that the same thing?" I said. She stared at me, squinting her eyes. "What the HELL is wrong with you Nick? Don't you know the difference between coffee and a-" "Yeah, yeah. A cappachino isn't coffee. Anything else, princess?" "Bite me!" I stood up laughing. Max has taught her so well. I opened the door after grabbing my leather jacket and walked out the door. I still don't know why, but something told me to wait for the cars to go by so I could see the side walk across the street. Then I saw her. Max, face down in the concrete. And there was blood. A lot of blood.

"Max!" I yelled. Nudge ran outside and screamed at seeing Max bleeding on the ground. I ran through the traffic, jumping over a car or two (BEASTY!) to get to her. "Nudge, call 911!" She grabbed her Samsung out of her pocket and sobbed into it. "Max, are you okay?" That was a really dumb thing to say. She obviously wasn't okay. Her lips were blue, her face was pale, and I could see the split in her head. "Oh my God. Max what happened? Stay with me Max. Max!" I couldn't think of anything else to do, so I used my coat as a cover so she'd stop shaking so much and wrapped the bandages that I made from my shirt (A WHITE shirt, may I add!) around her head, just like my real dad had taught me. I could tell that she was slowly drifting back into unconsiousness. The ambulance came as soon as her eyes rolled back.

They put her in the car and sped off. Serenity and I got into my car and followed them. It was silent most of the ride, until we got closer to the hospital. "Fang?" Nudge whispered. "Is Max g-gonna be oh-okay?" I waited for a moment to answer. I really wasn't sure. "Yeah," I said. "She's gonna be okay. They'll just have to keep her in the hospital until she gets her strength back." We waited in silence, then Nudge pulled out her phone. "Damnit! I forgot to call Mrs. Ride!" She called Max's mom, who said she was on her way. When we got to the hospital, they immediately put her in the operating room. We told the receptionist to expect someone in a moment, then followed the doctors. We headed for the room they were wheeling her to when a male nurse stopped us. "Woah, little buddy," he said, sticking his hand out. "I don't think you guys should go in there. It could get a little messy." "Well," I said. "I _am_ missing my daily Sesame Street episode, but I think we can manage." "Let me rephrase that. You aren't allowed in there. It's against hospital regulations-" "SCREW HOSPITAL REGULATIONS!" yelled Nudge. _Dayuuuummmmn!_ "MY BEST FRIEND IS IN THERE WITH HER HEAD BASHED IN AND I NEED TO BE WITH HER-" "Serenity! Nick! Oh my goodness, what happened?" Valencia Ride ran up to us and gave us a hug. Her eyes were bloodshot from the ride over here. "Oh, Nicholas, look how big you've gotten! And Serenity, look how long your hair is!" She began to cry again, hugging us tight. I saw Ari, Max's older brother, walk up. His muscles were monstrous and his sandy brown hair was wet from the flooding rain. You could tell he was pissed. Ella, Max's little sister, ran up from behind him, wringing out her jet black hair. A foreign cleaning lady made angry gestures behind her. "What happened?" said Ari, staring at me like _I_ did something wrong. "We don't know," said Nudge. "What do you mean you don't know?" "We just found her there, Ari," I said. "We have no clue." "Well somebody, better know, or I'm gonna-" "Sshh!" said Ella sharply. "We shouldn't argue while Max is in critical condition!" Ella always felt the need to use big fancy words. We sat down in the chairs and waited for the doctors to give us the information.

The door opened and the doctor stepped out, his hands bloody. "Mrs. Ride?" She looked up at him. "Y-yes?" "I'm so sorry. But your daughter is in a deep coma."

A/N: NOOOOOOOOOOOO! YOU MUST LIVE MAX! LIIIIVE! R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

The Secret Life of a Teenage Bird Kid

Max: I prefer Avian American! Gazzy: *fart* Hehe... I pooted. Angel:Wtf? Everyone:ANGEL? Angel: (innocently)Yes?

A/N: I know stormy you hate comas but I HAD to do it!

Ch.3

Nudge's POV:

I held onto Fang and bawled my eyes out. He held me just as tight, if not tighter. He was a great big brother. "How could this happen?" I said. My best friend, the only one I can talk to about anything is in a fucking coma for Christ's sake! "Well," the doctor began, softly. "Maxine-" "It's just Max!" snapped Ari. He must be on the brink of snapping someone's neck. This was his little sister in the hospital. "My apologies," said the doctor. "Max had obvious trauma to the head. This was a serious impact, like a brick to the head or bashing someone's head into concrete. It has affected her ability to respond to light, sound, and touch, resulting into a deep coma." "How long will it be before s-s-she wakes up?" cried Ella into Valencia's shoulder. "Unfortunately, we aren't sure. But by the looks of the fracture, we know that her learning abilities and response to things relating to the senses will not be affected once she awakes. Sadly, it also shows that Max may not wake up for a matter of 6 months, at the absolute least. I am extremely sorry, Dr. Martinez." We all began to cry, Ari the most and the loudest. "Please, Eric," said Valencia. Eric and she got there bachelor's in science together while in college. "You must let us see her. I don't care about the rules; just let me see my baby!" "...Okay. Okay, just be quiet, and only a couple at a time. Family first, then friends, got it?" He led Ari, Ella, and Dr. Martinez into the room where we heard sobbing even louder than before. "What do you think's gonna happen?" I asked Nick. I'd been asking it for the past 30 minutes, but it's like a movie that your friend has watched but you haven't. You've just gotta know what happens before it does, whether you like it or not. "I think that the doctor's estimate is wrong." "Woah, woah, WOAH. What do you mean the doctor's estimate is wrong? This guy has been doing his job for 20 years, Nick. I think he knows what he's talking about." "Max isn't patient. She's not the type to miss things, or else it irritates the crap out of her. Her stubborn ass isn't able to stay in a coma for 6 months, Nudge." No matter how ridiculous this sounded, it was probably true. "She's gonna make it," he said. "Sooner than they think. That's her plan. To prove them wrong. I just want to know what the hell happened that got her in this mess."

The Martinez family stepped out of the room moments later. "Nicholas, Serenity, do you two need a ride home?" "No ma'am." I said. "We're okay. You should go home and get some sleep." "Okay sweety. Tell your mom to stop by when she can. I haven't seen her in ages!" "I will." We both forced a smile. We both said goodbye, and they walked away, Ari suspiciously glaring at Nick. Nick and I just stood there for a while, staring at the door. "Um, I think we should go in," I said, breaking the awkward silence. When we stepped in, I wanted to gasp in horror. Max's face was bruised, her head in bandages with a blotch of blood on them. She looked paler than ever. We just sat there with her, each of us holding a hand. We waited there for about 10 minutes. Then I kissed her forehead and said, "Come on Max. Bring out the stubborn ass you are." This made Fang laugh. "You comming?" "Nah, I'm just gonna stay here a minute longer." I looked at him quizzically (I like using big words like quizzically). "Go on. I'll be out in a minute. Just wait in the car okay?" "Okay. But you better not rape my unconscious friend's body or you're dead." "No promises," he sang. I laughed hard at that, but I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

Though I walked out of the room, I stopped by the door where he couldn't see me, but I could still hear him. They say curiosity killed the cat. Luckily, this cat has 8 more lives. He just sat there staring at her. He began petting her hair where it was standing up. "Oh, Max," he said. "Who did this to you?"

Max's POV:

I knew I was dreaming, or, somewhat, because there was no way that I would wear a dress in real life. _I was wearing a cream colored dress that went to my knees. It was short sleeved and had lace on the bottom, on the sleeves, and it had a black ribbon around the waist. I ran around a field of grass in black converse, laughing and looking back. Fang was running after me in a black tux. He had matching black converse. We ran a bit farther, then he tackled me. We went rolling down a hill and I landed on my back with Fang right next to me. We laughed over and over and over. "Fang," I said. "Promise you'll never leave me." "Why would I leave something so perfect?" He smiled that half smile, and I smiled widely right back. "I love you Max." "I love you too Fang." Then Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Angel's dog Total walked out of no where next to us. "You guys ready?" asked Iggy. "Of course they are," said Total. I didn't know why he could speak. He had a British accent. "They're just lying on the ground to get warmed up." We got up and stood next to Iggy and Nudge. "Yeah," I said. "Let's ride." Then, we all grew wings. Mine looked like an eagle's wings, brown and white. Fang's were black and violet, like a raven's. Nudge and Gazzy had brown wings, Gazzy's caramel colored and Nudge's dark chocolate. Iggy had cream and gray wings and Angel had pure white, like a dove's. Poor total had stubby little black wings, but he'd manage. I grabbed a hold of Fang's hand, and we took off. We flew hundreds of feet into the air and headed straight for the sunset. This was it. This was what I wanted to do my whole life. I wanted to do this forever. Just be quiet and stare at the sunset. And to fly. With my flock._

I woke up slightly. I could barely open my eyes. Fang was in front of me,rubbing my hair. I don't think he realized I was awake. It's not like I could talk or anything. Nudge walked in. "Nick," she said. "Lissa and Dylan are here." WHAT? I wanted to yell. Dylan had roses WHICH I HATED, and Lissa actually looked worried. Stupid fake bitch.

"Is she okay?" Dylan asked. "She's in a coma," said Nudge. "Oh my God! That's horrible! I'm so sorry, hun," said Lissa. I can't believe Fang is believing this shit. Wait a minute... _HUN?_ "I wish I could stay longer, but my parents are outside waiting on me." then Dylan left. And Fang looked furious. "I can't believe he'd just walk out like that! This is his girlfriend!" "Look, babe," said Lissa. "I know she's your best friend. But she'll get better. She is Max, after all." "You see, that's why I love you so much." Then he kissed her. More like fucking ate her damn lips off. Oh man, I could see their tongues. Eckth. Nudge looked like she was going to throw up. I wish I could. "I think we should go, you know," said Lissa. "Let the doctors do their job." "Okay," said Fang."I guess so." He and Nudge walked out of the room. Before Lissa left, she looked at me dead in the eyes. She knew I was awake. I could tell by her smile. She mouthed the word _Suffer_, blew me a kiss, and left, holding Fang's hand. She purposely made out with Dylan and Fang in front of me. And they _liked_ it.

Damn, I just can't win, can I?

A/N: Ahh, whores. Always a good time right? Well, until they give you AIDs. R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

The Secret Life of a Teenage Bird Kid

Fang: Wait, I'm dating LISSA?!

A/N: Look, I know I haven't written in a while, but oh well. I'm here now aren't I? I suggest you read the chapters before this one if you haven't, or I'll send Lissa to your house and make her rape you. (everyone gulps)

Ch.4

Nudge's POV

My mom yelled for me, but I wouldn't get up. My friend was in the hospital, it's five in the fucking morning, and Lissa has to drive me to school. _Lissa_. I say her name with a hiss, even in my head (A/N:DO IT! IT'S FUN! LISSSSSSA!) I put the covers over my head when I heard her coming up the stairs. "Serenity, you need to wake up hun," she says. I don't answer. "I made your favorite, chocolate chip waffles and chewy bacon." Even though it was tempting, I still didn't get up. I heard her sigh and felt the bed lean down a little more next to me. "Sweety, I know this is hard for you, but will you please get up. It's supposed to be a nice day for August. Only 80 degrees today." She knew she was going to break me soon. But I kept my cool. I can do this! "You know, maybe later we could go to the SPCA and help take care of the animals if you get up." Damnit. I lifted the covers off of my face and looked at her puppy eyed. "You promise?" I asked. "Of course I promise. Now get up. You need to take a shower." I had been defeated.

I went to the bathroom, took my shower (a quick one so Nick wouldn't get pissed that there was no warm water), and blow dried my hair. Luckily, being mixed and all, I flat ironed my hair with ease despite the fact that I had ringlet curls. I put on a white tank, black pants, and a yellow crop top that opened at my shoulders with a black smiley face on it. I put on grey converse, a gray chain link headband in my hair, and headed down stairs. Nick was already at the table, wearing his Nikes, some faded jeans, and a regular red t-shirt. I friggin SMASHED my bacon and waffles, kissed my dad on the forehead as he sat down, and headed for the door. "Wait," my mom said catching me. "Where are you going? You don't have to be at school for another 45 minutes!" "Oh," I had to think of something! "Well, I think I'm just gonna walk to school today, you know, get some fresh air." "I think that might be good for her, Deborah," said my dad. "I don't know," she looked at me funny. "Mom, I'm 15. I think I can handle the neighborhood kids throwing acorns at me with slingshots." "Well, what if one hits you in the eye? What then?" Fang chuckled at the insanity that is our mother. She scolded him. "If my eye gets poked out, I'll signal Batman and he can drive me to the local ER in his Bat Mobile. Okay?" "But wait-" "Bye mom!" I ran out the door as fast as I could, clinging to my Spongebob backpack and running onto the sidewalk. I'd never actually walked to school before, but I've stared out the car window at the scenery a million times, so I know my way.

Being out here makes you wonder. About, like, life. How beautiful the trees are, or how vibrant the colors of the birds are. But you know they're gonna die, so what's the point of even being good? It's gonna end. Maybe even sooner than you thought. I thought of Max and felt guilty. I mean, I should've called her. She would've needed a ride home from school anyway, right? I shouldn't have skipped school. Maybe she wouldn't have gotten jumped, or hit by a car, or whatever the hell caused her to have a concussion. I can't believe this happened to her. She had amazing friends, like me for instance, not to sound conceited. And she had a killer style, a great mom, bro, and sister. Plus, she was dating Dylan. I gotta admit, he's a complete hotty, but he's been getting on the pudgy side, so I'm not so sure anymore. It's probably from all the beer he drinks.

Thinking of beer makes me think of Max. She goes to so many parties and gets wasted, it's like she's gotten used to the alcohol. Like, she can drink a bottle of vodka and walk in a straight line down the middle of a highway and not get hit by a semi. Impressive, I know. But, I think Max is taking things too far. Nick says she's just in a relationship with Dylan because he can get her things, but I know he's just jelly of them being a couple. He says he's not good enough for Max. Actually, once I think about it, he's really not. I mean, who got Max hooked on pot 4 years ago? Dylan. Who gives Max all this alcohol that she doesn't need? Dylan. Who convinced Max to have unprotected sex with him and almost got her pregnant. Obama. I mean Dylan. Why the fuck was I thinking about Obama? Anywho, I just want to know what the fuck put Max in the hospital. Or who.

I didn't realize I was at school until I saw James, aka Iggy, the hottest guy in school, and Fang's best friend. God, he's just so amazing! Just look at that strawberry blonde hair (Eek! It's natural!), those turquoise colored eyes (Also natural!), and he's, like, 6'2. I'm only 5'9, but who cares! He's kinda like a bad boy, as a lot of girls call him, but that's really attractive. He rides a motorcyle, blows stuff up, the whole deal._ I can do this. I need to talk to him. Go on, Nudge. Do it!_ I started to walk up to him and he waved. _Eek! Look at those muscles! Eek!_ "Hey Nudge, come here!" "Okay!" I ran over to him and stopped about 2 feet away from him, but I wanted to be a lot closer. _Play it cool,Nudge. Play it cool._ "Hey Igs, what's up?" "Uh, not much. The sky." I giggled and he smiled. That was like, the cheapest line ever, but I love it. "I, uh, heard about Max." "Oh," I said. Fang must've told him. "Fang told me." Told ya. "Look, I um, don't know if this is the wrong time to ask this, but I'm gonna just say it." _Omigoshomigoshomigosh!_ "So there's this party on Friday, and I don't have anybody to go with me, so, you wanna go?" Play hard to get, Nudge. Build up interest. "I'm not sure if I'm open, but I swear I'll get back to you, okay?" "Yeah," he smiled. "Okay." "Cool. Seeya, James." I started to walk away when I heard him yell, "Don't forget to get back to me, okay?" I put an O.K. sign in the air. Keeping him interested, check. Finding answers for who did this to Max, working on it. Thirst for a caramel latte, unquenched and unchecked.

Fang's POV

"Come on Nicky poo, let's go, or we'll be late!" I walked out of the house and saw Lissa's pink Lambourgini with the top down in front of me. I have no idea why I ride in this piece of tin, or why I let her call me that. _It's because you'd do anything to get some ass._

Woah. Damn. Stupid mind. I swear to you, I don't think like that _at all_. I'm not a sex obsessed douche bag. I heard a honk, which brought me out of my paralyzed daze. "Come oooonnnn!" I heard Lissa whine. " 'Kay babe." I saw her smile as I opened the door and sat on the fuzzy pink seat. "I see you got a new ring." I looked at her hand, a hand that has a new ring about every couple of days. This one was pink and red with a silver band. She flipped her fire engine red hair over her shoulder and said "Mhm. Daddy got it for me. Isn't it to _die_ for?" She giggled and started to drive off. I braced myself for maybe 10 minutes of torture.

"So, watcha doin later?" Lissa looked at me and smiled. I hated when she did that. Not smile, but looking at me while driving. I'm an extremely paranoid person. I guess I got that from spending all those nights in the woods with Max. "I don' know. I'm probably gonna take Serenity to see Max." (p.s. I don't like to share our nicknames with people that aren't included on the inside joke.) "Omg, Nicky poo! That's so B-O-R-I-N-G!" I hated when she did that. It's so A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G. Wait. Holy Shit. "What? It's her best friend, and my cheap ass parents aren't gonna buy her a car. She doesn't even have a license." "Look, I just don't like you around that girl, okay!" "Who, my sister?" "No, Max! I don't like you being around Max." "Why?" She paused a minute, looking a bit nervous and fidgety. "Come on, babe. You _know_ she's got the hots for you." "Wait, what?" Her saying that reminded me of the first time Max and I kissed, in the janitors closet. I was a nervous wreck. _But she looked amazing in the dim closet light that hung above us._ "Oh wow, Nick you are _so not _stupid. She looks at you like a sick puppy. And I'm not the only one who's noticed." I knew what she was talking about. At least, from what Igs told me. But I had to see Max. To see if she was okay. I have to. "It won't be long, and I'll just let Serenity in the room, okay?" "I don't know." I wrapped my arm around her to reassure her. She looked at me and smiled. So it was a helpless little lie.

What could go wrong?

A/N: Sorry this is kinda short. And nothing exciting really happened. The next will be better. I'm just tired, but I will write again soon! R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

The Secret Life of a Teenage Bird Kid

Gazzy: When will I be in the story? Me: Ssshhh. Be patient, young padowan. -SP?

A/N: Hi.

Ch. 5

Max's POV

I opened my eyes a slit, and saw the nurse next to me adjusting my IV. I don't know why I have one, but I'm not a fan of hospitals. So you'd understand why I felt light headed when I saw her stick a needle in my arm. I mumbled a little, and she faced me, shocked. She grinned and yelled "Doctor, doctor! Get in here. I think she's awake!" She acted like I was some freakin celebrity.

The doctor came in, Dr. Batchelder, and smiled a smile that would rip a girl's heart out. Luckily I no longer had a heart to steal. The name sounded familiar, but I pushed it out of my mind. "Good morning, Miss Ride. How are you feeling?" "Uhh, I don't know. Better than I would feel if I _weren't _here." He laughed loud, then said "I'm glad to hear that. You've grown up a lot, Max. Val has been very worried." Only a couple of people are allowed to call my mom "Val". And apparently this stranger says I've grown up a lot. "How do you know my mom?" He laughed again, only a little softer. "Don't you remember me?" "Um, no. No, I have no recollection of who you are." "Max, it's me. Your Uncle Jim." My Uncle Jim. Jeb's, I mean dad's, brother. _But he's supposed to be dead._

"Un-Un-Uncle Jim?" My head was spinning fast, and I couldn't stop it. I felt really tired. "It's okay Max. You can fall asleep." He held my hand between both of his. "I'm gonna take care of you. It's what your dad would've wanted." Would've... _wanted?_

For the ones that failed English class, that's in past tense. Is he saying my dad is _dead_?

Nudge's POV

"But Fang, I really like him, and he likes me-" "I don't care, Nudge! You are not, repeat _not_, ever, ever going out with him." "Oh, and why not?" "Because he's my best friend, and if he ever hurt you I would have to bust his head open with a sledgehammer." "But he's _not_ gonna hurt me. Come on, you've known him since, like, _forever_, and has he ever once hurt a girl before?" "No, but there's a first time for everything." "FAAAANNNNNGGGG!" "NUUUDDDDGGGEE!" I stared at him and silence, then looked forward and folded my arms across my chest. "Mom would let me." "But who do you listen to first, me or mom?" I paused a minute and sighed. "You." "Exactly. Mom is a psycho that doesn't know what she's talking about." "So?" Fang looked at me and smirked. Then he shook his head and faced forward to the road. It'd be kinda ironic if we got in a car accident and got hurt on the way to the hospital.

"You know," I said. "You can't stop me." "Yeah, but I can stop him." "FAAAANNNNNGGG!" "NUUUUDDDDDGGGGEE!" "STOP DOING THAT!" He laughed and turned on the radio. I automatically turned it off. "No. No radio until you say yes." "Fine. I guess there will be no radio." "Fang," I made my voice softer and made Bambii eyes. "This is the only guy I've really ever liked. He's really sweet and nice and he asked me out. I swear I won't do anything stupid and I'll be my own person and if he hurts me, I'll personally deliver him to you for a whoop down, O.K.? Please? You'd be the best big brother in the world!" He thought about it for a minute then looked at me. "Oh no, not the Bambii eyes!" "PWETTY PWEASE WIF SUGAR ON TOOOPPPP?" "Okay, fine, just please STOP THE EYES! IT BURNS!" "YAAAAAAY!"

Works every time.

Fang's (Short) POV

Stupid Bambii eyes.

Max's POV (I told you Fang's was short)

I opened my eyes and looked to the left. This was the first time I realized my head was in bandages. It didnt hurt all that much, so I sat up and grabbed the lunch tray sitting next to me. On it, it had a note. It said:

_"Dear Max,_

_ I know this is weird, but we'll talk later. Just rest up and watch T.V. or whatever hospitalized teenage girls do._

I love my uncle's sense of humor.

_"I have some other clients, but I'll be up to talk in maybe five hours. Just chill till then._

_ Dr. Jim Batchelder_

_ Or, Unkie Jim, as you used to call me._

_P.S. Be prepared. You have some visitors coming at 3:00 P.M._

I looked over at the clock next to me. It said 2:30. _Eh, I've got time._ Instead of doing what Gazzy calls "survival eating" (swallowing everything whole without chewing like a mad man) (A/N: SEE GAZZY! HERE YOU ARE), I took my time and ate like a normal person. Except when I saw that I had chocolate pudding.

I _love_ chocolate pudding.

I grabbed a napkin and just wiped all over my mouth to get the chocolate off. Then I ate my turkey sammich (yes, I know it's SANDWICH, not SAMMICH), picked at my pineapples, and chugged my apple juice.

I started to think about who my visitors would be. Probably Dylan and Lissa, here to make out in front of me, all slobbery and nasty.

Eckth.

Maybe it'd be Fang. No doubt he'd bring his precious Lissa.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually jealous of Lissa. I mean, she's got both of my exes on each arm, and Fang doesn't even notice.

Hmph. Hopes she likes seconds. Stupid whore.

Fang's POV

"Why don't we get her this?" Nudge held up a fluffy pink sweater, standing next to the cashier lady of the hospital gift shop.

"That is, like, totally _fab_." I knew Max would hate it. But she didn't have the heart to be mean to Nudge. "Umm, how much is it?" "$147.32-" "But it's _so_ worth it!" interrupted the cashier. "Eh, I think we'll keep looking." I grabbed Nudge and went to the other side of the shop. We browsed through some of the books, CD's, but found nada. So Nudge decided to go by the stuffed animals, and I to the jewelry. I saw lockets, pink stones, things Max didn't like. But then I saw something perfect.

It was a ring. A simple ring, a plain silver band, nothing fancy about it at all, except right on the inside there was a heart shape that stuck out on the ring.

"Oh," said the nicer, less crazy old lady cashier. "That's one of my favorites. You see," she picked it up out of the glass case. "When you put it on, it's just a plain, comfortable ring, but once it's on for a while, it leaves this heart imprint on the finger, so when you take it off, the heart is still there." She put the ring in my hand. "Very romantic, if you ask me." I thought a minute. If I got it for Max, no doubt she'd throw it away, not to mention Lissa bitchin at me. But I can't give this to Lissa. It just... wouldn't feel right. "Uhh, how much?" "Well," she began. "For a plain ring, it's pretty pricey, but this is no ordinary ring." She looked at me and smiled. "It's a promise ring." I knew what a promise ring was. Lissa had one from her dad that she hung around her neck.

I guess she broke her promise. Hint hint.

"It's $120." I took a deep breath and whistled the air out. I didn't have that much money. Well, not on me anyway. "But for you," She put the ring in a box and in a little bag. "$60." I thought a minute. _Maybe Max'll like it. Maybe she'll love it. Maybe we will... Maybe she'll throw it down the drain and spit in my face._ "I think I'll take it." I gave her the money with a smile on my face. I shoved the small bag down into my pocket and walked to the stuffed animals without Nudge noticing what had happened.

_Maybe Max will love me again._

Nudge's POV

"Hey," said Fang. "Did you find anything?" "Uh," he looked back at the jewelry counter. "Nah. Nothing special. You?" "Well," I pulled out the big white teddy bear with blue wings and handed it to him. He raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "Oh come on," I said. "You know Max is a total softy for teddy bears. You've seen her closet." "How do you-" "She told me about the time when her mom got home early and she had to hide you, then sneak you out the back door." I knew what he was thinking. I'm good at reading people. He was thinking about that night.

The night he and Max lost their virginity together.

Or would it be virginities? I don't know. Anyway, he agreed to the bear, and then I pulled out a few CD's, a Paramore one, an All Time Low one, and a My Little Pony one for good measure. She loves that show. "Nice," he said. "Yeah, but YOU still have to get her something." He sighed and walked away. He went back to the jewelry counter to some nice looking old lady. He asked her something that I couldn't make out. She handed him a chain with a heart on it. He opened a box on the counter and picked out some charms that I couldn't see too well. A few minutes later, he thanked her, payed her, and walked away.

Now that I think about it, it's like he was with a prostitute. Thanked her. Payed her. Walked away. (A/N: That's for you, StormyCloud83)

Anywho, he walked up to me and stood there. "Sooo?" "So what?" I glared at him."What did you get?" "Oh yeah!" As he reached into the bag, I face palmed myself. He has the attention span of a toilet.

When I looked up, he was smiling and dangling a chain in front of his face. I had to pull his arm down to see, due to him being 6'3 against my 5'9. Once I saw it, I was awestruck. Not really by what it was, but by the fact that cold, heartless, unemotional Fang, picked it out. _Fang._

"You think she'll like it?" "Oh don't worry," I reassurred him. "It's perfect." As I walked up to the counter to pay for my things, I saw him stare at the necklace and smile.

I know he loves Max. I know she loves him.

But he hurt her. And I don't know if I can let that happen again.

Max's POV

Okay, while I'm thinking about it, I might as well tell you the story about my family. We'll start at the beginning.

Okay, so my mom's dad, a.k.a. Grandpa Greg Ride, had only sisters. Then, when he had kids, he only had daughters. All of them, except my mom, had gotten married, and took their husband's last names. So when Jeb Batchelder, my mom's fiance a.k.a. daddy, heard my mom tell that story, and since he had a brother with a son, decided to take my mom's last name so the Ride name would be passed on. And that's how Maxine Lily Ride came to be.

But, of course, you can call me Max.

So now, for my uncle. Uncle Jim was, or should I say _is_, my dad's little brother. He married young, had kids at maybe 20 or 21, then went off to the army at age 27. When I was about 11, he was back from Iraq, but left for another tour. Then, Aunt Kimmy, his wife, got a letter in the mail.

I guess you can tell what it said.

_I was at the funeral. They had it closed casket, due to the wounds. I saw the casket in the ground. I saw his youngest son jump on top of the casket as it went in the ground, saying he wanted to be with his daddy. I saw his mom bursting into tears, my mom holding her. I looked up and saw the first drop of rain hit the ground, and a few seconds later, my dad, staring out into the distance, his glasses fogged up. I saw the hard times ahead. His sons acting up in school. Failing classes, but making it to the next grade. I saw them staying over a lot, Fang, Igs, and I doing our best to cheer them up and make them laugh, and watching them laugh hysterically and have a good time. Then they stopped coming over. I saw them sad, the purple bags under their eyes. I saw Aunt Kimmy with ratty hair and dirty clothes, never saying a word._

_I saw Aunt Kimmy try to kill herself._

So, I guess you can sense that I'd be pretty fucking stunned at seeing that my dead uncle was my doctor.

I'll just have to find that out later.

Just as I started thinking about the questions I'd ask him, Nudge bursted through the door, scaring the chocolate filling out of me.

"We're here!" she said in a sing songy voice. I only saw her, so I asked "We?" "Oh, Nick had to take a piss." She skipped over to the bed and stared at me a minute, my eyebrows furrowed. Then her lip started quivering and she wrapped her arms around me in a deadly hug. "Okay. I missed you too, Nudge." That's when the water works began. "I-I-I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEEEAAAD! I SAW THE B-B-BLOOD, AND THE AMBULANCE, A-AND THE GASH, AND I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA DDIIIIEEE!" Then she started babbling incoherently and sniffled a lot.

All I could think of was _I am _not_ cleaning these sheets._

I laughed and patted her hair. "But I'm here now aren't I?" She sat up and wiped her nose, mascara lines dripping down her cheeks. "But still. I was scared."

"You're scared of everything." She looked at me and smiled. "Shut up." Then we started laughing and we couldn't stop.

But when we did stop, she said "Oooh, guess what guess what guess what!" "What?" She bit her lip and looked away. "I don't know. I'm not sure if I should tell you." "TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME!" She giggled and said "Okay!" She paused a minute, waiting for the tension to build. "Iggy asked me out!" Then we started screeching like maniacs. I'm surprised no one came to make sure I was okay. "Seriously?" "Mhm!" "When?" "Today!" "Oh my God! Did you do what I told you to do?" "Yep!" "Good girl! Have you told him yes yet?" "No I was gonna call him after this!" Then we screeched again.

God, I am such a girl.

"Oh yeah, I got you some stuff!" She handed me a bag, and I tore through it. I got a teddy bear! (It's soooo cute! It has wings!) And I got some CD's (a My Little Pony one! YAY!). "Aww! Thank you!" We sat there a minute in silence. "Max," Nudge said seriously. "What happened?"

My smile faded, and I looked down. I filled up my cheeks with air and slowly blew it out, watching the air push down my covers.

I lifted only my eyes, my lids feeling heavy. "You really want me to tell you?" Nudge looked at me with a "Duh!" face. "Okay, okay. So," then I told her everything. From when Fang bailed me out, all the way until when he found me in the rain.

"That... that..." Nudge was trying to think of a word that would fit Dylan well enough. "WHORE!" she shouted. "Wait, are you talking about Lissa or Dylan?" "BOTH! Wait. Oh my God." Her shoulders fell down and her eyes looked sad. "What?" I asked. "What is it?" She looked at me and whispered "Fang."

I hadn't even thought about him. _He's gonna be crushed. He really loves her._ "How're we gonna tell him?" I looked at Nudge. "We can't," I told her. She looked stunned. "What do you mean 'we can't'? Of course we can! We _have_ to." "But he'd be crushed." "Yeah, but which would hurt him more, ending it now, or letting this continue even longer, especially with us knowing it was going on?"

I put my head down and rubbed my eyes. "Okay, okay, just," I looked up at Nudge. "Let me tell him, okay?" "Okay." She leaned forward and hugged me. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" "Okay." "And Max?" "Yeah?" She was at the door now, but she turned her head to look at me. "Be gentle, okay?" "Yeah. Of course." She smiled and left. I had only a few short seconds to think of what to say. Then he walked in.

He had his hands in his pockets, and his head down. Then he looked up and walked towards me.

He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at me. We just sat there a minute. It was too quiet for me.

"Uhh..." _What do I say?_ "Hi?" Right after I said that, he tackle hugged me, only I was laying down on the hospital bed. "You and your sister are just alike, you know that?" He let go of me and sat up, smiling. "Heh, sorry about that. Just got excited, that's all."

He ran his fingers through his hair. He knew that I loved when he did that. _Stupid prick._ "I'd ask you how you're feeling, but I doubt that it's well." "Actually I feel pretty good." "Well that's good." "Yep."

We sat there in awkward silence. For, like, _ever._

"Oh! I, uh, I got you somethin." He pulled out a small jewelry bag and handed it to me. I opened it and saw a necklace chain, but this necklace was different then other necklaces.

I don't know if I can explain it, but I'll do my best.

So, it's silver. I like silver. It had a clear heart hanging on it. The heart was like a case that you could open and close, like a locket. But it was better than a locket. Like I said before, it's clear, which is good because you can put little charms in it. Like, flat charms. They could be dogs, or cats, a little boy or little girl, things like that. It was so cool! The heart was big enough to fit about 6 or 7 charms in it. Fang put 7 in. They were: a hamburger, a unicorn, a little girl with my birthstone in the center (an opal), a music note, a guitar (I'm a sucker for guys that play guitar. Fang plays guitar. *sigh*), a pair of wings, and a happy face. I laughed so hard when I saw the unicorn, and I couldn't stop.

"Thank you!" I hugged him through tears. He looked at me puzzled. "Why are you crying?" "I don't know!" That made me laugh even harder, which made him laugh. It went like that for maybe 15 minutes.

"Where the hell did you find this?" "In the gift shop, down the hall." He grabbed the necklace. "They have more charms there, you know, if you want to change them, or whatever." "I don't think I'll be changing them anytime soon." I sat up and gestured for him to put it on. He moved behind me and clipped one side to the other. Then he saw my head. I guess the bandages were thin, or the blood seeped through or something, because he touched right on the spot where the split was. He didn't touch it hard or anything. His fingers just... lingered there. Like he was, I don't know, sensing it? Like he was afraid he'd hurt me, maybe.

I liked it. It made me want to just kiss him right there.

Which reminded me of Lissa.

Great. Why does she have to ruin everything?

"Fang?" "Yeah, Max?" He was still behind me, petting my hair. "I have to tell you something." He moved in front of me and looked into my eyes. "What is it?"

_You have pretty eyes._ No! Stop it brain! _I love your hair._ No! Bad brain. Sit! _I love you._

I hate my brain.

"Do you know how this," I gestured around my head. "Happened?" "I kinda figured you slipped and fell."

"Well, yeah. But, I kinda..." "Yeah?" "I kinda... saw something, you know, before I fell. I was actually running from it." "Max. What happened?" "Dylan..." Fang looked furious. "What the fuck did that bastard do to you?" I paused a minute, and looked down. "... and Lissa..." "What do you mean 'Dylan and Lissa'? What happened?" "Dylan cheated on me with Lissa." His face went pale white.

"What?"

A/N: Well, I'm gonna end it there because I'm just a bitch like that! I'll post the rest ASAP, but at the moment I don't have internet. What do you think is gonna happen next? R&R!


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